This is a Camelot retelling in a fae court fantasy with the leads into to a slow burn dark romance.

When we meet Morgan (Morgana) she is naive, afraid, and struggling to keep her head above water in a world trying to drown her. Sadly, nothing about her character changes until the very end of the book. (Assumed.)

I enjoyed the beginning (though there is too much description at times) as we got to know the characters and settings. As it went on, I actually started to think I had misread the synopsis and that this was actually a Court Intrigue storyline. It isn't, we just linger on that part of the story for nearly 40% of the book.

When we finally transition to the advertised Quest storyline the story (ironically) starts to slow down. We get one action scene of note, but everything else is dialogue or reflection, right up to the last 5% of the book. I did not enjoy the middle of the book, nearly at all. (A large part of this may be due to the 'twist' being so obvious to me. If you know, you know.)

The last part of the book was fast, if a little jumpy on the 'camerawork'. It ties things up well enough, but there is a large cliffhanger.

CONS:
What little romance we get in this book is animal magnetism and 0 emotions, which is frustrating. The lack of court etiquette observed by anyone makes the "court" setting seem redundant. Characters we get introduced to and potentially invested in at the start have almost no impact later. Writing alternates between too much description (emotion or setting) and too much dialogue. The 'twists' (at least for me) were far too predictable.

PROS:
Morgan is a character you want to succeed because she deserves good things. The mythology/retelling aspect is integrated into the whole story. The (however off screen or implied) slow burn dark romance keeps you more invested than you might think.

Total Score:
Probably could have removed about 20% in the middle of the book so pacing was more consistent for a stronger level of engagement.

TWs:
SA, unsmexy stalker, unaliving, death of a parent, spousal abuse, abuses of power, abusive/neglectful parenting, sociopaths, violence, language, alcohol use, mild intimacy, poison, discussed war - intimacy - paid unaliving - famine.

I had high hopes for this book. The first half, I anticipated reading the next page, the next chapter, but then the second half fell flat. I felt there was no growth, character development, it was very underwhelming, and anti-climactic. The cover of the book is beautiful. The title and synopsis of the book are what drew me in. However, for a debut book, I would have hoped that the author could have kept up the stamina that they had in the beginning.

I was provided this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

An interesting spin on the Camelot legend following Morgan’s story. I like how the story is set up for the series and look forward to following up with part 2. I also enjoyed the spin on Lancelet and Merlin and the way we are kept guessing about where the story is going. Can’t wait for the sequel.

Just finished this book and I am obsessed.
This Arthurian fantasy retelling was compelling and at just the right pace. Loved the character development of Morgan, the world building was imaginative and immersive and the characters were all well rounded and added to the story. Draven was an interesting character that kept you guessing throughout the story about who he truely is. The other male characters were believably Dark and hatable and added more intrigue to the story.

There was an interesting gory and spooky side in the plot that added some suspense leading to a brutal cliffhanger and exposed some secrets that I thought were predictable but not in the way way I imagined.

I cannot wait for Book 2 to see where the story goes.

2.5 stars

This takes Arthurian legend just as the basis for setting and characters and then tells its own story.

Morgan is the main protagonist, set off on a quest to find Excalibur and bring it to her brother, Arthur. It's your basic travel quest, with a woman coming into her powers, learning of folklore, not knowing who to trust, etc. Some of it was confusing but overall a decent story.

Loved this!! This is my new obsession! However check trigger warnings for some of you it may be too much. But yes I am Here for it!! I can't wit for the next book.
I just reviewed Queen of Roses by Briar Boleyn. #QueenofRoses #NetGalley
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3.75 stars

Thank you Netgalley and Briar Boleyn for the ARC!

A camelot/king Arthur retelling with fae. I was hooked by the idea of this book immediately and was eager to jump into this world.

• slow burn
• enemies to lovers
• who did this to you

Morgan Pendragon watched her mother die by her father's hand when she was just eight years old, hiding under the bed. Morgan is believed to have the tainted blood of the fae in her veins and is cast aside so that her fathers illegitimate son, Arthur, can become the king. She's seen his cruel treatment of the fae firsthand, so when he sends her on a journey to find a fae weapon she seizes the opportunity to do more with her life. Along the way, she finds more than she could have imagined.

I don't know a whole lot about King Arthur and Camelot but I had a lot of fun with this story! The plot has some similar tropes to popular romantasy books (From blood and ash) but there's enough originality here that it doesn't feel like I'm reading a copy. I liked how the fae were different in appearance than what is typical in most fantasy books I've read. In this book they have blue hair, violet skin and a wide range of other characteristics. I thought that the world building was easy to follow and I could easily immerse myself into this world. After reading the blurb I kept wondering when she was going to go on the journey to find Excalibur and it doesn't happen until around the 45% mark.

The story is a bit slow at times but starts to pick up once they begin their journey to find Excalibur. The John Wick style Inn was a fun concept that I enjoyed reading about.

There are a lot of similarities to this and FBAA and I would have liked to have it be a little more different, but I'm hoping book two will have the story turn into something of its own. Overall I enjoyed reading this story and I'm looking forward to reading book two especially after that ending.

This book is… not it. Intriguing story line but the writing is not good. The dialogue is so childish and awkward. Skip it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Starwater Press, and Briar Boleyn for the eARC.

After a battle with myself internally, I dnf'd at 15%. This was difficult because I want to give ARCs, and any book I pick up, a fair shot and read as much as I can before judging. Unfortunately, I could not make it further than this with Queen of Roses. It's just not good.

One of the biggest, most glaring issues I have is that no one knows who our main character, Morgan, is. This may not seem like that big of a deal, until you realize she is the eldest child of the royal line. Elder sister of the reigning king. She was in line to be the queen until their father denounced her publicly, yet no one knows who she is? The guards don't know, the townfolk don't know. She has a unique, defining characteristic - gray hair - and people still don't know who she is? This is so outlandish to me...

To push that gripe even further, no one recognizes her little brother either! The younger sibling to the king. Who sits next to his throne during court... but no one recognizes him. What?

The writing is juvenile and lazy. The author was trying to write Morgan as an emotionally closed off individual due to early trauma, but she never showed this to us. Occasionally she would throw in a mention regarding our main character realizing her little brother is the only person she feels close to, but we never get insight to her feelings.

The dialogue is weird. Not the words said, but the way the author chooses to describe it. I feel like it was a cycle of phrases similar to:

"Morgan said with humor"
"Lancelet said dryly"
"Arthur commanded sternly"

Everything had a descriptor which felt... excessive and clunky.

There's racism against those with fae blood, but we aren't given any insight as to why Arthur has it out for these people. Furthermore, it's said in the book that Arthur's prejudice is known, but it's also stated that these folk still move to the capital city Camelot? Why? It's entirely possible that this is explained later on, but if we're going to witness the king straight murder someone while attempting to instill the idea that he has some fae prejudice, I need to know some kind of "why".

Thank you to NetGalley, Starwater Press, and Briar Boleyn for the E-ARC.

I was quite in a reading slump when I started this book, so it took me around five days to actually finish five chapters. But, last night, I kinda feel like reading it, and I finished it!!

I love a retelling story, and I believe this one was an Arthurian retelling. And when they kinda reverse the role, it makes me really look forward to how the author will approach the ending and revelation or put some twist at the end. Sadly, in my opinion, it wasn't really able to deliver the premise, and the plot kinda feels flat. The story didn't really capture my attention, but I'm still okay with this book. It's not good, but it's not that bad either. Kinda giving me the blood and ash vibes, not bad.

If you're looking for romantasy, id say go for it. Plus, there's a morally grey character, which I know all of looking for in fantasy, right?

The story started slowly for me, but as the story picked up the pace it improved enough that I wanted to know what happens in the book. It was clearly based on the Arthurian/Camelot legend, with some changes in gender and from whose viewpoint we see the story. I am interested in how the far plot line develops in future books and if/when Morgan comes into her own power.

Thank you to NetGalley, Starwater Press, and Briar Boleyn for the eARC.

I had hoped to love this one, but it felt like it took a really long time to jump into the story, and felt a bit predictable as it hit the last 20% of the book.

A doomed love, a dangerous mission, and a kingdom on the brink of war...

This was fine. A little cliché and I felt like it didn't add anything to the genre.

I rated this book 3.5 stars because at first it seemed to much of a rip-off of Merlin. And I couldn’t bring myself to care about the characters, but throughout the book, it definitely grew on me and it became a very enjoyable read, it does check a lot of boxes, like love triangle, morally grey love interests, but the FMC was relatively weak in my opinion in the beginning. Overall it was a decent fantasy book that I came to enjoy. I loved the aspect of family and how it truly described how love for blood related people works. I also enjoyed the representation of the LGBTQ+ community. I will most likely check the second book out, because the story did grow on me exponentially.

"A doomed love, a dangerous mission, and a kingdom on the brink of war..."
Morgan Pendragon is a girl who is said to have the fae blood of her mother, she is rightful Queen of a throne that is claimed by her brother and all she can do is accept that as fact. Sent on a dangerous mission with a brooding, mysterious man she learns more than she thought she ever would not only about the kingdom but about herself as well.

This book took me by complete surprise!! I was enthralled from the first page and was sucked into the world of Aercanum. For a debut book I couldn't believe how well the writing was, it built the world in the least overwhelming way possible while still giving you every detail needed to form an image. Usually with a debut book I notice that the authors get caught up in trying to squish as much detail oriented descriptions in as they can to show off that they know how to illustrate, but Boleyn has mastered the art of imagery perfectly.

Next, the characters and relationships. I am in love with Kairos Draven!! He is written to be the perfect brooding, sexy, skilled man. His development with Morgan is very realistic a classic slow-burn if you will. Morgan herself is just as good, she shows that she has a defiant side but also due to the predicament that shes in she has to show that she is submissive as well. I can already tell that she is going to grow into a very badass FMC, in the beginning of the book she was already showing that, I just cannot wait for her to develop more.
I also cannot wait to find out more about Kairos: He is shroud in a very mysterious light so not a lot of his background was uncovered, to some that might be a mark against the author but I like how it was done. You get JUST ENOUGH information to feel satisfied but then you start to have a million more questions that reels you into wanting to know more.. Kind of just like Morgan haha.

If you want a book that checks off all of the following tropes then this is for you, trust me you will not be disappointed!! I am sure this will soon become one of the next top and trending reads.

*Forced Proximity
*Touch her and you die
*Slow-burn Romance
*Grumpy x Sunshine

This is the first book by Briar Boleyn that I have read an found myself speeding through it. I could have finish this in one seating but I decided to sleep @2 and finish the rest in the morning.
Description:
Morgan is the princess of a kingdom ruled by her younger tyant brother. After the death of her mother Morgan is cast aside by her father due to the rumour of her blood being tainted by fae blood. With that Morgan will never be queen and at the age of 21 she will be given to The Three. She has no freedom and spends her days training and trying to write the wrongs of her brother by helping her people. So when her brother sends her away to find a sword of legends on a mission with two people likely to kill her. However, she has no choice but to go and risk these men killing her, since her brother threatens to marry her off to enemy. Morgan goes on a journey with Draven who was recently promoted to the guard to keep her “safe, ” but is labeled as dangerous as he is handsome.

Tropes:
-King Arthur-inspired retelling, Slowburn, “Who did this to you?”, Forced Proximity, Enemies to lovers, Royal Guard, one bed, ‘look after when sick’, fantasy, and worldbuilding.

Warnings
Abduction Abuse, Alcohol Consumption, Animal Death, Child Abuse, Child Death, Deceased Family Member, Domestic Violence, Drug Use, and Poisoning Violence / Gore.

I rates it 4/5 stars.

Thoughts:
What I enjoyed about this book is the fast-paced speed and the world-building. This is inspired by King Arthur but it is not a retelling. Solely the kingdom political system and names match the story. I thought the entire story was fast paced but as soon they left the kingdom things were tense waiting to see what unfolded. This book has a ton of parallels to from blood and as he and I have a love-hate relationship with that. I enjoyed that it was familiar but it felt too predictable through most of it. Poppy and the duke, and Morgan with Florian.

Representation:
Merlin is a female high priestess. Lancelot is a gay women working to being a knight.

The next book was set up well with a cliffhanger of more mysteries rising. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys these tropes and FBAA.
I received this book as an ARC through NetGalley.

Queen of Roses is an Arthurian retelling in that the characters share names and some similarities. Otherwise, it’s an original dark fantasy featuring hidden identities, mysterious lands, and mythological creatures. It’s a tale of resilience and self-empowerment. And I loved it so much.

Morgan was born to be a queen. But her ruthless and hateful father had other plans. She’s lived a very cruel and restricted life, and we witness her slowly start to realize her self-worth and contemplate a life outside of the role that’s been thrust upon her. Yes, she makes mistakes in her naïveté but that’s why her character arc is so satisfying. Then there’s Draven. Was his identity a shock? Nope. But I loved the build-up to the reveal anyways. He’s a grumpy, muscular, dark-haired MMC who fits right in with the other book boyfriends 😂. He’s also a cinnamon roll for a ferocious animal companion, and the scenes had my heart swelling with adoration. Now Vesper annoyed me from the start but that’s a character you should discover on your own.

The dark, ominous world-building set the perfect atmosphere. The plot slowly builds throughout the story, with some pretty big revelations coming towards the end. I am dying for the next book because it will be spectacular and, I have a feeling, spicer 👀. If you loved FBAA or the Plated Prisoner series, chances are high that you will really enjoy this one.

I was surprised when I started this book. Surprised on how much it was easy to read and also how much I was enjoying the story.
This Camelot re-telling was what I needed. I liked a lot the new representations of the characters, Merlin as a woman and Arthur as the villain. I liked a lot the add of the fae to the story, it makes so much sense.
The world building is really great, but the magic is still a little too weak for now, so I’m really looking forward for book two when it will come out, mostly after tat ending!! Luckily I’ll not need to wait too much since book two is coming out in June.
Also, I would like to see a bit more of characters development, but the rest was so much enjoyable.

Thank you NetGalley and author Briar Boleyn for this ARC and all the opinions are my own.

3.5/5

I really enjoyed this plot and I definitely will read book two to see where the story goes! I liked our FMC, Morgan, and how strong and compassionate she was. I liked the world that Boleyn built and the pacing of the plot once the main adventure began.

However, I thought it started a bit slow and there were some parts that were written vaguely that I wasn't 100% sure what was happening for some scenes. Additionally, I think some of the characters needed some more depth. I wanted to buy into a budding romance with Morgan and the main man, but it just wasn't there in the first book.

I'm hoping this book was setting up for more depth in book two!

This book surprised me how much I liked it! I could not put it down the last 100 pages. This is a Camelot retelling with some great reinventions of classic characters; a lesbian “Lancelet” being one of my favorites. I do think more background on Lancelet and Merlin would have added to the story…but maybe we will get more in book 2. Of course I loved Morgan (my name twin lol)!! I am dying to know what happens next and can’t wait for book 2 coming out June 30th. I give this book 3.5 stars, but the potential of this story 5 stars!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review